Saturday, December 14, 2013

All week I have been planning my trip to town.  I was going to go on Thursday but instead I cleaned and decorated.  I was going to go yesterday but I had to finish cleaning and decorating.  Today was the day.  I told James I was going and he said: "Maybe I should hide the checkbook.  I said: "Fine, because I don't write checks anyway."  As I was getting ready to leave he says:  "Oh, I'm going too, and we are taking the truck."  I was a little frustrated because I felt like my plans were being interrupted.  I pouted for awhile but I couldn't stay made too long because James was so sweet about it.  We had to take the truck because he needed to take a ladder to Horne's.  A red flag should have gone up in my mind at the word ladder.

I shopped at Walmart and then we went to the drive-thru of Panda and got lunch.  Next we went to Horne's where James had to do some touch up painting.  I took this picture while I was waiting in the car for him and posted it on Facebook.

I told him he was grounded from ladders,

but he didn't listen.

Back at home I made two corn casseroles for the ward party and also cooked some just plain corn.  James took it to the church and was also suppose to take our roaster oven, while I typed his talk for tomorrow.  

There were probably about 250 people at our ward Christmas dinner.  We sat by the Curtis's and Audrey Guerrero.  The food was delicious.  I especially liked the smoked turkey I had.  There was plenty of food and neither one of my corn casseroles god used.  After the dinner I spent 20 minutes looking for my roaster oven only for James to tell me that he forgot to bring it.  I was a little frustrated because I feel like sometimes he doesn't listen to me very well.  What's wrong with me.  Nothing a good Christmas movie can't fix.  Tonight it was "Baby's First Christmas."  It was a good one!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Gospel Study

"No Other Gods" 

-Elder Dallin H. Oaks

"What is our ultimate priority?  We must not set our hearts so much on the things of the world that we stop trying to achieve our eternal destiny."

 Out of control burning

Paul, (Gail's friend), called James this morning.  They are in Miami and are on their way up.  I guess they are so slow because they are pulling a travel trailer that is about 30 feet long.  They arrived in Show Low in the afternoon and made the mistake of going to Walmart.  Paul said to James: "Why didn't you warn me about that Walmart."  Because it was later in the afternoon and James knew they wanted to make it to their hunting spot up near Alpine on the Blue, and we had to leave for the high council Christmas party by 5:15, he met them at Midway Station to give them a map of the Blue.

James really wanted to go to this stake presidency, high council, auxiliary, Christmas party, so I said I would go.  It was casual and very low key.  We sat by friends from our ward, Owen and Donna Peeler, and the high councilman from our ward, Brother McArthur and his wife Jeneice.  It was a pleasant evening and the most enjoyable part of the meal for me was the cheesecake we had for dessert.

Happy Birthday to James's little sister Carmen.  Friday the thirteenth is her lucky day.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Gospel Study

President Eyring

'To My Grandchildren'

"There is not one of us but what God's love has been expended upon.  There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed.  There is not one of us that he has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save.  There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning.  We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eys of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels - invisible beings of power and might - charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping." 

-George Q. Cannon

 

Gail's friends my be here today so instead of going to town like I planned, I stayed home and clean and finished decorating for Christmas.  James got here around 4pm from the valley.  He brought burros from Burger House.  Bless him!  

I washed the sheets on Sheri's bed but hadn't finished cleaning her room yet.  James said Paul, Gail's friend, called and said they were going to stay in Phoenix for the night instead of coming up here.  Instead of finishing the cleaning, I took a break and watched some Christmas movies.  I did finish the tree and it llos very nice.  James loves the new silver bulbs I got at Target.

 Later I added my two poinsettas by the fireplace

Christmas movies: Santa Baby, Santa Baby Two, The Mistle Tones, A Princess for Christmas, Santa Switch.  I may have watched some of these while I was cleaning and decorating.  Believe me I did not sit around all day watching movies!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Gospel Study

Abraham Lincoln:

"If you would win a man to your cause, first convice him that you are his sincere friend."

- Pres. Monson "True Shepherds"

It has warmed up.  Yesterday morning it was 2 degrees and this morning it's 14.  I slept in until after 6.  We stayed up too late watching that silly Christmas movie last night.

James left for the valley this morning.  He is bidding a job at Troon North Golf course in Scottsdale and is also checking on the Hatch job.  I am left at home alone.  I was so tired this morning I nestled down in my recliner and watched a cute Christmas movie I've seen before called "Help for the Holidays."  I did manage to get up and get dressed after the movie.

I worked on my blog and brought up the rest of the Christmas decorations and did some decorating but still haven't started the tree.  

We had an all board meeting, including class presidencies, tonight before Mutual.  Diana Curtis did some planning with the girls using the new Church youth activities website.  We planned a Young Women combined activity for February and one for March.  For Mutual I interviewed some of the girls for Personal Progress and Diana taught Kilee how to index.  Randa Covert played games with the girls waiting for their Personal Progress interviews.  It was nice that there were three of us there to cover all bases.

Gail's friends from Oregon are suppose to come by tomorrow and may be spending the night on their way to a hunting trip on the Blue.  That means tomorrow will be a busy day for me.

We watched the move "A Christmas Tail", starring Jenny Garth.

Facebook finds:

 Melanie Bentz and her daughter.

Melanie was in our ward in Chandler.

Brookly Carroll, Vernon ward.

The Aaron and Kari Lambson Family

Tricia and her sister Stacy.

Maddie Carroll, one of my sweet young women!

The Westbrook/Carroll clan:

Sadie, Brooklyn, Marie, Maddie, and

Rosa

Sheri with Benjamin Boles

 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

 Gospel Study

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.

-Revelations 21:4

"The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar...When you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual will be swallowed up in God's will, then we are really giving something to Him!  It is the only possession which is truly ours to give."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"When our thought are focused on the Lord, we become able to receive and recognize inspiration for our lives."-Becoming His, p. 32

It is 2 degrees outside this morning and there are snowbirds hopping around everywhere.  While James is gone to finish up at Horne's the guy from Spring Mountain Materials finsihes delivering our cinders.  When he is finished he comes to the door and I give him his check.  It is comforting to know that the Crane's will reimburse us for half.  The total was a little over $1,600.

There was a Relief Society dinner this evening at Wendy Dewitt's home.  We had soup, chili, rolls, chocolate cake and hot chocolate with all kinds of "mixins".  The Dewitt home is very nice and their kitchen table can seat over 20 people.  We had about 30 sisters attend.  Rosie Lauritzen, Rosa Westbrook, Ruth Wallace, and Wendy Dewitt all shared Christmas stories.  It was a fun evening.  Afterward Collin Dewitt, Jim Diewald, Diana Curtis, Kaeli Nicoll and I had a Young Men, Young Women planning meeting.

Pictures from our Relief Society Activity at the Dewitt's home.

  

 Sadie Westbrook, Madalyn, Marie, and Brooklyn Carroll

I came home and James cut my hair and we watched the movie "The Twelve Dates of Christmas."  I bought some more of Kathy Crane's jalapeno jelly.  James and I both love it.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Gospel Study

"Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view." 

-Elder Neil L. Andersen

"Whatever binds us, sins, circumstances, or past events, the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Immanuel, has come to set us free."

-Elder Bruce D. Porter

"As long as we are willing to rise up again and continue on the path, . . . we can learn something from failure and become better and happier." 

- Pres. Uchtdorf

Sunrise

 I know you can't see them very well but there are

about a dozen snowbirds digging bugs, etc. out of the snow.

Backyard bunny is out in the cold.  It is 21 degrees this morning.  James waited to go into town, he's still finishing up at Horne's, for the guy delivering cinders to come.  The cinder man was late because his truck broke down.  He delivered about half the cinders and his truck broke down again so he had to leave but will hopefully be back tomorrow.

I paid bills today and got out more of the Christmas decorations.  James worked on putting up the tree for about two hours while I watched "Handcuffed for the Holidays."  Mario Lopez is so cute.  Too bad he's such a jerk.  

We had pork chops and asparagus for dinner.  I had some applesauce I canned at the cannery in Mesa in 2001.  It's still good.  James has to speak in Church on Sunday and today he has laringitis.  Hopefully faith, prayers, and steroids will see him through.  I love him so much for working on the tree and putting up my two wreaths.  

Together was watched "Christmas in the City."

 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Snow on the ground this morning.

James took my car to his 6am high council meeting in Show Low.  He was back by 8am.  

we got about two inches of snow, just enough to cover the ground.  Because of the wind some places it drifted deeper and in other places the ground was bare.  

Westin Hall was the youth speaker in sacrament meeting today.  He spoke on the importance of choosing good friends.  Sharma and Jim Taylor were the main speakers.  They are new in our ward.  They spoke on reactivation and fellowshipping.  

During Sunday School James and I both attended a stake training for the new youth curriculum for Sunday School and Young Men's and Young Women's.  It was really good.  The Young Women leaders were late for Young Women's but it was ok because the bishop took over.  He was asking each of the girls how they felt about last week's trip to the temple.  It was neat.  Sandra Wilhelm gave a lesson on spiritual gifts.  She used some of the techniques we learned in our training.  Kelly Reynolds, Trenda, Coty, Alex, Arizona and Hunter were missing.  Kilee used me as an example of someone who speaks words of wisdom.  I love that girl!

For lunch we had roast and potatoes and then we took a nap.  James tried to index an intermediate batch of names.  He worked over an hour and was only able to do 10 names.  

We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  For the first time that I can remember they had speakers other than the First Presidency speak.  President Monson was the only member of the First Presidency who spoke.  We also watched part two of "Love's Christmas Journey".

Facebook finds:

The Dowdle Family from Chandler

Ben holding his friend Benjamin Boles